Invalid&#39;s chair.



xEL E. HIGGINS.

INVALIDS 01mm. APPLICATION TILED APILQ, 1906. RENEWED JAN. 11, 1909.

928,05 1. Patented July 13,1909.

Amid a 6mm 00. mTo-Lrmoamruins. WASHINGTOK n. c.

UNITED STATES PATENT oninoir.

ELMER E. HIGGINS, OF ST. PAUL, MINNESOTA.

IN VALID S CHAIR.

Application filed April 9, 1906, Serial No. 310,674.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ELMER E. T'IIGGINS, a citizen of the United States,residing at St. Paul, in the county of Ramsey and State of Minnesota,have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Invalids Chairs andI do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exactdescription of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in theart to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My invention has for its special object to provide an improved invalidschair, and to this end it consistsof the novel devices and combinationsof devices hereinafter described and defined in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings, which illustrate my invention, likecharacters indicate like parts throughout the several views.

Figure 1 is a view in side elevation, showing the improved chair and atruck for supporting the same. Fig. 2 is a detail in transverse verticalsection taken through one side of the framework of the truck and of thefolding seat on the line 90 x of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a bottom plan view ofa portion of the folding seat and showing a device for detachablyclamping a chamber in position under an opening, which is formed in thesaid seat. Fig. 4 is a view in front elevation showing the chair inposition under a hoisting frame; and, Fig. 5 is a plan view of the truckof the portable chair, some parts thereof be ing broken away.

The portable truck is made up of an iron frame 1 that is approximatelyrectangular in plan view but is bent at 1 so that its for ward portionis quite close to the floor. The forward portion of said frame issupported by caster wheels 2, applied to the corner forward portionsthereof, while the rear portion of said frame is supported by a pair oflarge wheels 3 journaled to the lower portions of brackets 4, rigidlysecured to the rear portion of said frame. As shown, said wheels 2 aredirectly journaled on the ends of an axle 5 that is rigidly secured tosaid brackets 4.

Surrounding and rigidly secured to the horizontal portions of the frame1, just rear of the inclined portions 1*, are sleeve-like bearings 6,having hubs 7 in which the lower ends of short tubular standards 8 arerigidly secured, preferably by being cast therein. Rigidly secured tothe upper ends of standards 8 are arm pieces 9 that extend longi-Specification of Letters Patent.

Renewed January 11, 1909. Serial No. 471,780.

Patented July 13, 1909.

tudinally of and overlie the sides of said frame 1. Extending upward andoutward from the bearings 6 are supporting arms 10 that terminate ingrooved seats 11. To the upper ends of the arms 10 are pivoted crookedclamping levers 12 having upturned ends. Mounted to slide vertically onthe standards 8 are clamping loops 13, which when forced downward,engage the upturned ends of the respective clamping levers 12. Thepurpose of the clamping devices just described will appear a littlelater on.

The folding seat, or chair proper, herein employed. is preferably ofsubstantially the form disclosed and claimed. in my U. S. Letters Patent787 ,760, issued of date Aoril 18th, 1905, the said patent being entited Portable invalids chair. The frame of this folding seat is made up ofthree sections, 14, 15 and 16, whichsections are connected by joints 17and 18, and are each made up of gas pipe or rod sections, havingparallel side portions. seat frame is a cushion 19, which is adapted tofold or bend at the joints 17 and 18. The horizontal intermediateportion of the cushion 19 is cut away at 20, and is preferablyreinforced by an annular metallic frame 21, secured to said cushion.Secured to the under portion of this frame 21 is a pair of segmentalclamps 23, one being rigidly secured, and the other being pivotallysecured, at 22, the movable clamp being yieldingly drawn toward thefixed clamp by a coiled spring 24; said seg- Secured to the sections ofthe mental clamps are adapted to clamp the flange of a chamber 25, andhold the same in position under said opening 20, for an obvione purpose.The side rods of the intermediate seat frame section 15 are so spacedthat they are adapted to rest upon the grooved seats 11 of thesupporting arms 10, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2, and the clamping levers12 are so formed that when turned upward and inward onto the said siderods, they will bear upon the same. Said clamplevers 12 are adapted tobe tightly forced onto the said side rods or pipe sections, and to besecurely clamped in working position by the clamping loops 13, which arethen forced downward onto the upturned ends of said levers, and are heldthemselves in position by gravity and friction. When the folding seat isapplied to the chair truck and secured thereto by the clamping devices,as just described, the lower forward projecting portion of the. framesection 14 rests upon the lower forwardly projecting portion of thetruck frame, as shown in Fig. 1.

Working slidably on the sides of the backforming frame section 16 aresplit collars 26, between the prongs of which are pivoted eccentricclamping levers 27, to the projecting arms of which are attached longcoil springs 28. When the seat is applied to the truck the lower ends ofthese springs are detachably secured to the rear ends of the arm pieces9, the said arm pieces being, as shown, notched at 29 to receive theheaded lower ends of said springs. The weight of the said seat section16, that is the back-forming frame section and corresponding portion ofthe cushion, keeps the springs 28 under more or less tension and when aperson leans backward against the back of the seat this tension is ofcourse increased, so that at all times the eccentric clamping levers 27are caused to bite upon the side rods of the frame section 15 withsufficient force to prevent accidental slipping of the collars 26. Byforcing the free ends of the clamping levers 27 backward toward the siderods of said frame section 15 the collars 26 are loosened so that thecollars 26 may be freely slid upon the side rods of said frame section16, and by such adjustments of the said collars the back of the seat maybe adjusted and set at any desired angle. The springs 28 also give theseat a yielding back when applied as above described.

The numeral 30 indicates a su porting frame which is adapted to straddlea bed and to straddle or embrace the chair, including its portabletruck. This supp orting frame is also preferably of the characterdisclosed in my said U. S. Letters Patent above identified. The saidframe is preferably made up of gas pipe sections suitably joinedtogether.

The numeral 31 indicates a Windlass shaft suitably journaled in theupper portion. of the su porting frame 30 and provided with smallaterally spaced Windlass drums 32. To one end of the Windlass shaft 31is secured a bevel gear 33, that meshes with a bevel pinion 34, carriedby a vertical shaft 35, mounted in suitable bearings on the frame 30 andprovided atits lower end with a mi ter gear 36. The miter gear 36 mesheswith a miter gear 37, carried by a crank 38, journaled into a bracket39, on the frame 30. As is evident the Windlass shaft 31 and its drums32 may be rotated by rotation of the crank 38.

The upper ends of cables 40 are attached to the drums 32 and dependtherefrom and at their lower ends are provided each with three branchcables 41, 42 and 43. The branch cables 41 are attached to the lowerportion of the seat frame section 14, the lower ends of the cables 42are attached to the respective frame joints 18, and the upper ends ofthe cables 43 are attached to the free ends of the respective clampinglevers 27. The intermediate portions of the branch cables 41 are shownas attached by links 44 to the respective joints 17. Preferably the saidbranch cables are all detachably connected to the respective parts notedso that they may be removed from the seat when the latter is applied toits portable supporting truck.

As already stated, the truck with the applied seat is adapted to be runin between the pedestals of the supporting frame 30. This being done andthe cables being attached, as shown in Figs. 1. and 4, the seat with theoccupant thereof may be lifted off from the supporting truck by means ofthe Windlass. The portable supporting frame is preferably mounted oncasters so it may be readily moved from place to place, and so that theelevated seat with the occupant may be readily moved over a bed and thenlowered on to the bed. This device is therefore well adapted forhandling invalids, paralytics and other helpless patients.

It will be understood that the device described is capable ofmodification within the scope of my invention as herein set forth andclaimed.

What I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United Statesis as follows 1. The combination with a truck having a frame formed withside rods, of a removable chair seat made up of jointed sections,including side rods, the intermediate members of which are adapted to besupported by the side rods of said truck frame, and pivoted clampingdevices arranged to rigidly but detachably secure the intermediate siderods of said seat to the side rods of said truck frame, substantially asdescribed.

2. The combination with a wheeled truck having the frame 1 provided withpedestals 8 rigidly secured at its intermediate side portions andprovided at their upper ends with arm rests, of the detachable seat madeup of three hinged sections 14, 15 and 16, supporting arms 10 rigidlysecured to the sides of said truck frame adjacent to said pedestals 8and adapted to support the side rods of said seat section 15, theclamping levers 12 pivoted to said arms 10 and adapted to clamp saidside rods of the seat section 15 on to said arms 10, the slidingclamping loops 13 working on said pedestals 8 and adapted to engage theupturned ends of said clamping levers 1.2, and a connection between saidarm rests 9 and the upper portion of said seat section 1.5,substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

ELMER E. HIGGINS.

Witnesses:

ROBERT C. MABEY, MALIE Horn.

